Sumire (model) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

, better known by her genjina

Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

, was a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese hostess and fashion model, who was known as a featured model on the popular gal

Gyaru

is a Japanese transliteration of the English word gal, that of girl being . The name originated from a 1970s brand of jeans called "gals", with the advertising slogan: "I can't live without men", and was applied to fashion- and peer-conscious girls in their teens and early twenties. Its usage...

fashion magazine Koakuma Ageha.

Early life

Born in Isawa

Isawa, Iwate

was a town in Isawa District, Iwate, Japan.On February 20, 2006 Isawa was merged with the cities of Esashi and Mizusawa, the town of Maesawa, and the village of Koromogawa, all from Isawa District, to form the new city of Ōshū....

, Iwate

Iwate Prefecture

is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...

, she grew up with a single mother in the small town and when she was a high school girl she had a dream of becoming a fashion designer. After high school, she began working as a hostess at a Sendai hostess club, in order to raise the money needed for fashion design. She took her genji name

Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

"Sumire" from Shonan no Kaze

Shōnan no Kaze

is a Japanese four member reggae band. They are best known for their 2006 hit song , which was one of the top songs of 2006.- Biography :The band's roots were first formed when Red Rice and Han-kun first performed together in Shōnan in central coastal Japan...

's 2006 single "Junrenka" , immediately becoming a successful hostess at the club, and one day, at the age of 20, she was approached by Koakuma Agehas editor in the club, beginning to appear on the magazine as a model.

Modeling and fashion design

Sumire immediately gained enormous popularity among Ageha readers and began modeling for the non-Ageha scenes such as the Sendai Collection show. She moved to Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

in March 2009 to pursue modeling and her real dream of becoming a fashion designer. She launched her own fashion brand named "Divas" while working as a model. In June 10, 2009 when Gackt

Gackt

is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, voice actor and author. Usually referred to by his mononymous stage name, he is known for his career as a solo artist and as the former vocalist for the defunct visual kei rock band Malice Mizer....

's single "Koakuma Heaven

Koakuma Heaven

is the thirty-first single by Japanese musical artist Gackt. This single is the first of four singles of the 10 Year Anniversary Countdown which is a countdown to Gackt's 10th anniversary as solo artist. This single has been titled The 1st Heaven...

" was released, its cover featured Sumire along with other Ageha models such as Sayaka Araki and Sayo Hayakawa.

Death

On June 11, 2009, Sumire was found dead at age 21 in her condominium by her agency's staff. Prior to her death she had complained of headaches, and the cause of death was later determined to be due to a brain hemorrhage.

Legacy

During her entire life, Sumire was well known for her charity work for diseased children and disabled children. She began doing charity work when she was a middle school girl, and her charity work had become more active since early 2009 when she joined the Japan Welfare Children and Families Association after she found out that fellow model(s) had donated money to the association. She donated all the profits from the necklace which she designed and released on the Fancy & Co accessory company, and attended several charity events related to children with incurable diseases in May.

After her death, her friends and fellow models founded a charity organization, "H=and Project", with the concept of "succeeding Sumire's willingness". H=and Project consists of numerous fashion models and has provided help mainly to children with incurable diseases or disabilities, poverty-stricken children outside of Japan (South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

in particular), and sometimes to the likes of environmental projects and animal welfare projects.

Cause of death controversy

Some have argued that the real reason behind her death was a brain hemorrhage following a lethal overdose of methamphetamine

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...

, although the argument would be based largely on non-reputable tabloid stories.

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